Tape guide



July 2,1935.v K N 2,006,714

TAPE GUIDE Filed March 20, 1935 INVENTOR Patented July 2, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TAPE GUIDE New York Application March 20 3 Claims.

My invention relates -to tape guidesior guiding atelegraph tape or other tape-like objects across the line of vision of an operator in order to con '-veniently permit the reading or observation of 5 the characters contained on the tape without requiringthe operator to use his hands for maintaining the tape in a convenient line of observation.

The invention refers in particular to a tape bridge by which a telegraph tape on which the received signal characters are inscribed is guided in the line of the operators vision across a typewriter so as to permit the operator to conveniently read the signal characters for transcription without turning his head. Tape bridges of this kind have been used before for this purpose in this art. The particular novel feature of my invention consists in means which are provided at the tape entrance end of the bridge by which kinks which may be contained in the tape are automatically straightened out before the tape enters the bridge. Such an arrangement is of particular importance in high speed telegraphy in which the receiver from which the tape is discharged with the inscribed messages frequently runs ahead of the operator who transcribes the messages on the typewriter so that frequently a considerable amount of loose tape gathers in a basket provided for that purpose, the slack being taken up by the operator during short signal intermissions during which the operator catches up with transcribing the received messages. When such slack tape gathers temporarily in a container loops are formed which, as they travel toward the bridge, are pulled tighter and tighter until they form a kink which in entering the bridge through the ordinary conventional tape guide frequently causes tearing of the tape. This defect is entirely avoided by my invention by which the kink before it is pulled tight is straightened out so that the tape enters the bridge flat in the position in which it passes across the bridge.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 illustrates a view of the tape bridge in position across the typewriter, in which my novel guide is embodied.

Fig. 2 shows a transverse section through the tape bridge on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1 in larger scale.

Fig. 3 shows a right hand end view of the bridge and the tape guide in larger scale, and

Fig. 4 shows an elevational view of the right hand bridge end in still larger scale.

Referring to Fig. l, I indicates in dotted lines 1935, Serial No. 12,111

lthetypewriter across which the tape bridge '4 is .pla'cedso that it is conveniently in the operators line of vision, permitting the reading of the messages on the tape without turning the eyes. 2 represents a telegraph receiver of any conventional-form from which the tape 3 containing the signal characters is delivered in the direction of the arrow. 1 represents any conventional means for pulling the tape across the bridge in the direction of the arrow, for instance a conventional tape puller. The bridge 4 is grooved and tilted at a suitable angle with respect to the operators vision line so as to present the signal characters on the tape in the most convenient position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The tape bridge is supported at its two ends on two vertical standards 9 which can be raised and lowered in sockets 5, and adjusted in the desired position by means of set screws 6. If now as described in the foregoing the receiver 2 should run ahead of the speed at which the operator transcribes the messages and at which the tape is pulled across the bridge by the tape puller l a considerable amount of tape slack will be produced between the receiver and the bridge entrance which is usually held in a basket 8. The tape puller l in continually pulling the tape out of basket 8 will pull up loops and kinks such as are shown at I2 which may have formed in the basket during the gathering of the tape which kinks are gradually pulled into the 0 bridge where they are apt to be tightened, and cause the tearing of the tape. In order to straighten out such kinks and loops I have provided at the bridge entrance a downwardly inclined boss 10 which should point at an acute angle to the direction in which the tape travels across the bridge. I have found the angle of 45 preferable. This boss is fastened to the bridge and is of cylindrical shape and suitably rounded off at the point where it joins the bridge as shown at [3 in Fig. 4, around which tape 3 is wound with about one turn before it is laid onto the bridge as is shown clearly in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The effect of this downwardly inclined boss is to straighten out the loops in the tape before they become too tight so that the tape passes smoothly onto the bridge always with the right side up. In order to maintain the tape in spiral position in which it has initially been placed onto this boss by the operator, a spring clip I l is provided on the underside of the boss as is shown in Fig. 4. This spring clip rests with its free, slightly upturned end tightly against the boss, but is sufficiently spaced intermediate its ends from the boss so as to permit the free passage of the tape through the clip without imparting undue friction to the tape. The upturned end ll of the clip permits convenient slipping of the tape into the clip when the tape is placed across the bridge by the operator.

These means forstraightening the kinks and loops in a tape may also be advantageously used in passing ticker tapes or moving picture films or the like into guiding devices of any kind, where considerable slack in such tapes or films has been formed due to the speed of the supply exceeding the speed at which the tape or film is pulled into the guiding device.

I claim:-

1. In a device for conveying tapes, strip films or the like from a slack condition in a desired definite position across a line of observation, the combination with a tape observation bridge for guiding the tape across the observation line, of a boss disposed at the bridge entrance, and being inclined at an acute angle to the longitudinal bridge axis, around which boss the tape is spirally-,laid before it passes onto the bridge for straightening loops and kinks, which may exist in the slack portion of said tape, before they reach the bridge entrance.

2. In a device for conveying tapes, strip films or the like from a slack condition in a desired definite position across a line of observation, the combination with a tape observation bridge for guiding the tape across the observation line, of a boss disposed at the bridge entrance and being downwardly inclined at an angle of approximately 45 to the longitudinal bridge axis, around which boss the tape is spirally laid before it passes onto the bridge for straightening loops and kinks, which may exist in the slack portion of said tape, before they reach the bridge entrance.

8. In a device for conveying tapes, strip films or the like from a slack condition in a desired definite position across a line of observation, the combination with a tape observation bridge for guiding the tape across the observation line, of a boss disposed at the bridge entrance, and being inclined at an acute angle to the longitudinal bridge axis, around which boss the tape is spirally laid before it passes onto the bridge for straightening loops and kinks, which may exist in the slack portion of said tape, before they reach the bridge entrance, and a spring clip on said boss for maintaining the spiral track of said tape on said boss.

FRANK KUNCV 

